December 17, 2010

This evening all four of us (my husband, boys, and I) got in the truck, put in a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD, and went light-seeing. We went to the nearby town of Keizer to drive through a neighborhood that has many houses with bright, cheerful Christmas lights. It's one of my favorite things to do this time of year, and it was a perfect night for it, clear and dry. I planned to come home and make hot chocolate and tea, but everyone was just too tired! (how did that happen?!) But before I head off to get some much-needed sleep, I wanted to cover a little last-minute Christmas business and share a few fun things.

Any purchases made over this weekend (Dec. 17-19 2010) will ship on Monday, which should allow enough time for them to arrive before Christmas (in the USA, at least the lower 48). So now's the time for any last-minute shopping! Of course I can't guarantee, since the postal service is very busy this time of year, and the weather doesn't always cooperate either. Note that no more custom items (like the heart charms) will be finished in time for Christmas delivery, any new orders for those will probably ship the first two weeks of January. But if you're thinking of ordering a custom heart charm for a Valentine's gift, don't wait too long! It will be here before we know it.

I currently have a couple snowflake necklaces in my Etsy shop, the perfect seasonal jewelry that can be worn well past Christmas. Hopefully I will soon be making some earrings with the same design, only a bit smaller size image. Watch for new items (including more horse jewelry pieces) in the coming weeks. Some are completed but awaiting photographs, others are in various stages of creation.

The photo above is one of my snowflake pendants strung with Tourmalinated Quartz. I love the rustic icy look of this stone, and it goes with everything (I've been wearing it almost every day). Sometimes this stone has so many Tourmaline needles it can look very dark. It's also a stone that is often cut and drilled very irregularly/poorly, and has a lot of reject beads in each strand. If I ever run across some strands I really like (somewhat like these), I will make some similar pieces for sale.

Lastly, a quiet evening seems the perfect time to share my Winter Solstice treasury on Etsy. It used to be that treasuries (groups of items from different shops that you like, usually organized by a theme) were limited and when you managed to snag a spot to create one, it still only lasted a few days (I made a horse theme one once). Etsy users can now create as many treasuries as they want, any time they want. I finally took advantage of that. They're so much fun, I will definitely be making more! Grab a mug of coffee (or hot chocolate or tea), and enjoy!